RNase P核酶对人巨细胞病毒UL54基因mRNA体外切割作用

外部引导序列(EGSs)是mRNA靶序列互补并引导RNase P切割的小RNA片段.我们设计与人巨细胞病毒HCMV(Human Cytomegalovirus) UL54基因mRNA序列互补的EGSs,将其与大肠杆菌来源RNase P催化核心M1 RNA构建成M1GS核酶.通过对UL54基因亚克隆片转录产物体外切割研究,证实该核酶具备对UL54 mRNA片段的特异切割能力,可以发展成为一种抗病毒试剂.     

RNase P核酶对人巨细胞病毒UL54基因mRNA体外切割作用

外部引导序列(EGSs)是mRNA靶序列互补并引导RNaseP切割的小RNA片段。我们设计与人巨细胞病毒HCMV(Human Cytomegalovirus)UL54基因mRNA序列互补的EGSs,将其与大肠杆菌来源RNaseP催化核心M1RNA构建成M1GS核酶。通过对UL54基因亚克降片转录产物体外切割研究,证实该核酶具备对UL54 mRNA片段的特异切割能力,可以发展成为一种抗病毒试剂。     

引导RNaseP对HCMVUL54mRNA片段体外切割的EGS构建

HCMV是一种广泛存在的疱疹病毒,在免疫抑制和免疫功能低下人群中,HCMV感染可引起严重疾病。RNaseP是细胞内催化tRNA5’末端成熟的酶,当EGSs与靶mRNA互补结合并形成类似tNRA的复合物时,大肠杆菌RNaseP催化亚基M1RNA可具备对靶mRNA特异的催化切割活性。为研究抗病毒制剂,针对HCMVDNA多聚酶UL54mRNA设计并构建特异性的EGS—C6,通过对觇舅基因亚克隆片段转录产物体外切割研究,证实该EGS具备引导M1RNA对UL54mRNA特异切割的能力,可发展成一种新型抗病毒制剂。     

HCV特异性M1GS核酶的构建及体外切割活性研究

针对HCV基因组中较为保守的区域-5'UTR,设计一段GS引导序列,并与大肠杆菌RNase P的催化亚基-M1RNA的3'末端共价结合,构建序列特异性M1GS核酶-M1GS-HCV/C20。体外实验证实,所构建的人工核酶对HCV 5'UTR具有明显的靶向切割活性,且这种切割发生于靶序列的特定位点。本研究将为进一步阐明该核酶在胞内的活性、乃至动物模型内评价其抗病毒效果提供实验材料,从而为新型抗HCV药物及反义基因治疗的研究奠定基础。     

GS介导RNaseP对人巨细胞病毒μ154基因mRNA的切割作用

引导序列（Guide Sequences,GSs）是与mRNA靶序列互补并引导RNase P切割的小RNA片段。设计与人巨细胞病毒HCMV（Human Cytomegalovirus,HCMv）μ/54基因D片段mRNA序列互补的GS,将其共价结合到大肠杆菌来源RNase P催化核心M1 RNA,构建成T7-M1GS核酶。通过对μ/54基因D片段转录产物体外切割实验和将T7-M1GS构建在含有U6启动子的逆转录病毒载体,与构建在真核载体pEGFP-N1的μ/54基因D片段共转染人宫颈癌细胞系HeLa的体内切割实验,证实该核酶具备对μ/54基因D片段mRNA的特异切割能力,为利用核酶治疗HCMV感染提供实验基础。     

GS介导RNase P对人巨细胞病毒ul54基因mRNA的切割作用

引导序列(Guide Sequences,GSs)是与mRNA靶序列互补并引导RNase P切割的小RNA片段。设计与人巨细胞病毒HCMV(Human Cytomegalovirus,HCMV)ul54基因D片段mRNA序列互补的GS,将其共价结合到大肠杆菌来源RNase P催化核心M1 RNA,构建成T7-M1GS核酶。通过对ul54基因D片段转录产物体外切割实验和将T7-M1GS构建在含有U6启动子的逆转录病毒载体,与构建在真核载体pEGFP-N1的ul54基因D片段共转染人宫颈癌细胞系HeLa的体内切割实验,证实该核酶具备对ul54基因D片段mRNA的特异切割能力,为利用核酶治疗HCMV感染提供实验基础。     

核酶对人巨细胞病毒mRNA片段的体外切割

引导序列GSs(GuideSequences)是能与mRNA互补,引导核酶RNaseP催化核心M1RNA对互补区域特异切割的小片段游离RNA。针对人巨细胞病毒HCMV(humancytomegalovirus)DNA聚合酶mRNA序列设计GS,共价结合到大肠杆菌来源M1RNA中,构建成M1GST7核酶。通过对巨细胞病毒DNA聚合酶亚克隆片段转录产物体外切割实验,表明该核酶具备对DNA聚合酶mRNA片段的特异切割能力 。     

In vitro construction of effective M1GS ribozymes targeting HCMV UL54 RNA segments

Seven sequence-specific ribozymes (M1GS RNAs) derived in vitro from the catalytic RNA subunit of Escherichia coli RNase P and targeting the mRNAs transcribed by the UL54 gene encoding the DNA polymerase of human cytomegalovirus were screened from 11 ribozymes that were designed based on four rules: (1) the NCCA-3′ terminal must be unpaired with the substrate; (2) the guide sequence (GS) must be at least 12 nt in length; (3) the eighth nucleotide must be U, counting from the site-1; and (4) around the cleavage site, the sites -1/ 1/ 2 must be U/G/C or C/G/C. Further investigation of the factors affecting the cleavage effect and the optimal ratio for M1GS/substrate was carried out. It was determined that the optimal ratio for M1GS/substrate was 2:1 and too much M1GS led to substrate degrading. As indicated above, several M1GS that cleaved HCMV UL54 RNA segments in vitro were successfully designed and constructed.Our studies support the use of ribozyme M1GS as antisense molecules to silence HCMV mRNA in vitro, and using the selection procedure as a general approach for the engineering of RNase P ribozymes.     

抗Caspase-3核酶M1RNA的制备与体内外活性鉴定

为评价抗caspase 3核酶在阻抑细胞凋亡发生中的潜在价值 ,以RNaseP催化亚基M1RNA为模板 ,设计合成 3个特异性针对人caspase 3的核酶pM1 GS716、pM1 GS337和pM1 GS2 35 ,并对它们的体内外切割活性进行探讨 .3 2 P标记的caspase 3基因片段体外转录物作为靶RNA ,体外切割实验表明 ,pM1 GS716和pM1 GS337均有切割活性 ,其中pM1 GS716的切割效率可达到 93% .3个核酶转染HeLa细胞 ,评价其在体内的切割活性 .在TNF α作用下 ,转染pM1 GS716的HeLa细胞内caspase 3mRNA下降了 75 % ,蛋白含量下降了 6 9% ,caspase 3蛋白酶活性下降了 5 2 % .Hoechst 332 5 8染色表明 ,细胞凋亡率较对照明显下降 (分别为 2 1 6± 0 7%和 4 9 4± 0 2 % ,P <0 0 1) .提示体外制备的pM1 GS716具有良好的特异催化切割活性 ,有望通过切割caspase 3而抑制细胞凋亡 .     

M1GS-HCV/C141核酶的构建及其体外抗病毒活性测定

丙型肝炎病毒 (Hepatitis C virus,HCV) 是引起慢性肝炎的重要病因之一,严重危害公众健康。目前临床HCV感染常采用干扰素联合病毒唑进行治疗,然而应答率不高且易反复。因此,探索新型抗HCV治疗策略及药物显得尤为迫切。针对HCV核心基因的序列,设计与之互补的引导序列 (Guide Sequence,GS),通过PCR的方法将其共价连接于大肠杆菌核糖核酸酶P(RNase P) 催化性亚基 (M1 RNA) 的3￠末端,成功构建了一种靶向性M1GS核酶 (M1GS-HCV/C141)。经体外切割试验、胞内反义效应及胞内毒性研究,结果表明：M1GS-HCV/C141核酶不仅能够在体外对靶RNA片段产生特异性切割,在HCV感染的Huh7.5.1细胞中,也能显著抑制病毒核心蛋白的表达,进而使HCV RNA的拷贝数减少约1 000倍。因此,文中构建的M1GS-HCV/C141核酶在体外具有显著的抗HCV活性,这为HCV治疗研究提供了一条新的潜在途径。     

Nuclease footprint analyses of the interactions between RNase P ribozyme and a model mRNA substrate.

RNase P ribozyme cleaves an RNA helix substrate which resembles the acceptor stem and T-stem structures of its natural tRNA substrate. By linking the ribozyme covalently to a sequence (guide sequence) complementary to a target RNA, the catalytic RNA can be converted into a sequence-specific ribozyme, M1GS RNA. We have previously shown that M1GS RNA can efficiently cleave the mRNA sequence encoding thymidine kinase (TK) of herpes simplex virus 1. In this study, a footprint procedure using different nucleases was carried out to map the regions of a M1GS ribozyme that potentially interact with the TK mRNA substrate. The ribozyme regions that are protected from nuclease degradation in the presence of the TK mRNA substrate include those that interact with the acceptor stem and T-stem, the 3' terminal CCA sequence and the cleavage site of a tRNA substrate. However, some of the protected regions (e.g. P13 and P14) are unique and not among those protected in the presence of a tRNA substrate. Identification of the regions that interact with a mRNA substrate will allow us to study how M1GS RNA recognizes a mRNA substrate and facilitate the development of mRNA-cleaving ribozymes for gene-targeting applications.     

Developing RNase P ribozymes for gene-targeting and antiviral therapy

RNase P, a tRNA processing enzyme, contains both RNA and protein subunits. M1 RNA, the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli, recognizes its target RNA substrate mainly on the basis of its structure and cleaves a double stranded RNA helix at the 5' end that resembles the acceptor stem and T-stem structure of its natural tRNA substrate. Accordingly, a guide sequence (GS) can be covalently attached to the M1 RNA to generate a sequence specific ribozyme, M1GS RNA. M1GS ribozyme can target any mRNA sequence of choice that is complementary to its guide sequence. Recent studies have shown that M1GS ribozymes efficiently cleave the mRNAs of herpes simplex virus 1 and human cytomegalovirus, and the BCR-ABL oncogenic mRNA in vitro and effectively reduce the expression of these mRNAs in cultured cells. Moreover, an in vitro selection scheme has been developed to select for M1 GS ribozyme variants with more efficient catalytic activity in cleaving mRNAs. When expressed in cultured cells, these selected ribozymes also show an enhance ability to inhibit viral gene expression and growth. These recent results demonstrate the feasibility of developing the M1GS ribozyme-based technology as a promising gene targeting approach for basic research and clinical therapeutic application.     

Requirements for cleavage by a modified RNase P of a small model substrate.

M1 RNA, the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli, has been covalently linked at its 3' terminus to oligonucleotides (guide sequences) that guide the enzyme to target RNAs through hybridization with the target sequences. These constructs (M1GS RNAs) have been used to determine some minimal features of model substrates. As few as 3 bp on the 3' side of the site of cleavage in a substrate complex and 1 nt on the 5' side are required for cleavage to occur. The cytosines in the 3' terminal CCA sequence of the model substrates are important for cleavage efficiency but not cleavage site selection. A purine (base-paired or not) at the 3' side of the cleavage site is important both for cleavage site selection and efficiency. M1GS RNAs provide both a simple system for characterization of the reaction governed by M1 RNA and a tool for gene therapy.     

Differential effects of the protein cofactor on the interactions between an RNase P ribozyme and its target mRNA substrate

RNase P from Escherichia coli is a tRNA-processing enzyme and consists of a catalytic RNA subunit (M1 RNA) and a protein component (C5 protein). M1GS, a gene-targeting ribozyme derived from M1, can cleave a herpes simplex virus 1 mRNA efficiently in vitro and inhibit its expression effectively in viral-infected cells. In this study, the effects of C5 on the interactions between a M1GS ribozyme and a model mRNA substrate were investigated by site-specific UV crosslink mapping. In the presence of the protein cofactor, the ribozyme regions crosslinked to the substrate sequence 3′ immediately to the cleavage site were similar to those found in the absence of C5. Meanwhile, some of the ribozyme regions (e.g. P12 and J11/12) that were crosslinked to the leader sequence 5′ immediately to the cleavage site in the presence of C5 were different from those regions (e.g. P3 and P4) found in the absence of the protein cofactor and were not among those that are believed to interact with a tRNA. Understanding how C5 affects the specific interactions between the ribozyme and its target mRNA may facilitate the development of gene-targeting ribozymes that function effectively in vivo, in the presence of cellular proteins.     

Expression of an RNase P ribozyme against the mRNA encoding human cytomegalovirus protease inhibits viral capsid protein processing and growth

A sequence-specific ribozyme (M1GS RNA) derived from the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli was used to target the mRNA encoding human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) protease (PR), a viral protein that is responsible for the processing of the viral capsid assembly protein. We showed that the constructed ribozyme cleaved the PR mRNA sequence efficiently in vitro. Moreover, a reduction of about 80% in the expression level of the protease and a reduction of about 100-fold in HCMV growth were observed in cells that expressed the ribozyme stably. In contrast, a reduction of less than 10% in the expression of viral protease and viral growth was observed in cells that either did not express the ribozyme or produced a catalytically inactive ribozyme mutant. Further examination of the antiviral effects of the ribozyme-mediated cleavage of PR mRNA indicates that (1) the proteolytic cleavage of the capsid assembly protein is inhibited significantly, and (2) the packaging of the viral genomic DNA into the CMV capsids is blocked. These observations are consistent with the notion that the protease functions to process the capsid assembly protein and is essential for viral capsid assembly. Moreover, our results indicate that the RNase P ribozyme-mediated cleavage specifically reduces the expression of the protease, but not other viral genes examined. Thus, M1GS ribozyme is highly effective in inhibiting HCMV growth by targeting the PR mRNA and may represent a novel class of general gene-targeting agents for the studies and treatment of infections caused by human viruses, including HCMV.